School in running for more technology

Published: Monday, February 24, 2014 at 09:54 AM.

“There is also an environmental award given for $50,000 and I could see us being channeled that way,” Baile said. “It would be wonderful to win, but we would rather take first prize.”

Two students involved with the water quality project, Alli Ingraham and Harrison Martin, will accompany Baile to represent New Bridge Middle School and give a live presentation of the video in front of judges at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas.

“I’m really excited,” Ingraham said. “As a New Bridge student, we grow up going to Sturgeon City for field trips and things like that. I think it’s really cool that 14 years ago kids started this project and we are the ones finishing it. As eighth graders, it’s like our last big project we get to do together before going to high school.”

For Martin, the project has been an excellent opportunity to learn outside of the classroom.

“It’s been very hands-on and that makes a lot of difference,” Martin said. “I like that you can actually feel and see what you are doing rather than just sitting and learning about it.”

Online voting opens Tuesday and will continue until March 14. An email address is required and only one vote per address will be counted. The class also is required to create a 30-second video of students cheering on their representatives to ensure that all who participated in the project are recognized.

After beating 120 North Carolina schools to be selected as the state winner in the Samsung STEM Challenge, New Bridge Middle School was named one of the 15 national finalists in the contest, which aims to raise interest in science, technology, engineering and math by challenging students and teachers to apply their classroom learning to solve a real-world issue in their local community.

Science lab coordinator and teacher at New Bridge Middle School Julie Baile and an eighth grade class consisting of 30 students worked at Sturgeon City to compare the water quality to what it was 15 years ago, help finalize the oyster reef similar to how students helped plant marsh grass 14 years ago, put plaques in the downtown area reminding residents of the New River’s presence and more.

And while they worked, they documented the experience in a short, three-minute video submitted for a chance to win at the national level.

“It was quite an ordeal, but I’m just really very proud of the ownership the students have taken over this project,” said Baile, “The city has also been very instrumental in giving us time and resources.”

Baile oversaw the project since it began in September and throughout the filming process, which began in January after the students returned from Christmas break.

On top of the $20,000 in technology won through the state competition, New Bridge now has a chance to compete nationally for five technology prize packages each valued at $140,000 which includes tablets, netbooks and televisions for the classroom. The bottom 10 finishers of the national competition still receive $35,000 worth of technology, but Baile and her students are shooting for the gold.

“There is also an environmental award given for $50,000 and I could see us being channeled that way,” Baile said. “It would be wonderful to win, but we would rather take first prize.”

Two students involved with the water quality project, Alli Ingraham and Harrison Martin, will accompany Baile to represent New Bridge Middle School and give a live presentation of the video in front of judges at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas.

“I’m really excited,” Ingraham said. “As a New Bridge student, we grow up going to Sturgeon City for field trips and things like that. I think it’s really cool that 14 years ago kids started this project and we are the ones finishing it. As eighth graders, it’s like our last big project we get to do together before going to high school.”

For Martin, the project has been an excellent opportunity to learn outside of the classroom.

“It’s been very hands-on and that makes a lot of difference,” Martin said. “I like that you can actually feel and see what you are doing rather than just sitting and learning about it.”

Online voting opens Tuesday and will continue until March 14. An email address is required and only one vote per address will be counted. The class also is required to create a 30-second video of students cheering on their representatives to ensure that all who participated in the project are recognized.